Questions like this were on people’s minds as they reacted to news of the shocking attack. Did the boys’ home lives influence their behavior? Does their attack on the cat predict a future of crime, just as many of the country’s most notorious killers had been found to have abused animals in their youths?

Psychologists and criminologists in interviews last week said that the abuse the boys are accused of is hardly uncommon across the United States; and that, while the youth of the boys is startling, it’s the best sign they could be turned around if authorities intervene quickly.

“It has to be an all-hands-on-deck treatment,” said Tolga Taneli, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. “These kids have to be caught early and helped by teams of providers working on the child and family.”

The boys allegedly cornered the male cat in an alley near School 4 on May 7, and pelted him with stones and chunks of concrete, according to two boys who said they intervened to stop the attack. An animal rescue worker later took in the badly injured male cat, which came to be called Quattro.

Experts said the brutal attack, despicable as it was, offers a chance to shine a light on not-so-uncommon occurrences of animal cruelty in society, and for law enforcement to demonstrate they take such crimes seriously.

Although police have announced no arrests, at least some of the alleged attackers were suspended by the school district and are to receive counseling. Authorities said they were working to identify all the youngsters, most recently requesting surveillance footage from a nearby public housing building that may have captured the attack.

When the children are identified, psychologists said they need to receive serious treatment, more than what the school can provide.

Taneli said the best counseling would involve the boys and their families, because children who are cruel to animals often live in homes where parents are violent toward each other or their children. A review of child abuse incidents in New Jersey in the 1980s found that parents, or the children themselves, had killed or injured a pet in 88 percent of the cases.

“This is different from, ‘I don’t like school rules, I won’t listen to my mommy,’Ÿ” Taneli said, describing the state of mind of children who abuse animals. “They have elements of deceitfulness, cruelty and major violations of law.”

At least of one of the children in the group likely would have a diagnosis of a serious psychological disorder, or conduct disorder, he said. The four to five others may show signs as well, and should be evaluated in isolation, but their behavior may have reflected “an ugly side of human nature that can come out in a peer or group context,” Taneli said.

Phil Arkow, an animal protection advocate who trains law enforcement and social workers in identifying signs of animal cruelty, said he recommends that specialists use a program that teaches children accountability for their actions and empathy. The children who attacked Quattro probably lacked the ability to put themselves in his position, he said.

“I can guarantee you these kids did not think of that and they’re probably still not thinking of it,” Arkow said.

Such acts of cruelty are far more common than people may think, except that they are not usually reported or prosecuted, Arkow said.

He said he has seen more of the cases in inner cities, and Taneli said the urban poor are at higher risk of conduct disorder than children growing up in the suburbs.

New Jersey, like most states, does not require statistics on animal cruelty crimes to be logged in any meaningful way, which Arkow said might discourage police from taking complaints seriously. The family of the boys who stopped Quattro’s attack said they called police twice but they do not believe any officers arrived.

“If what comes out of this is a committed community effort that animal cruelty is a serious issue and the legal system is going to address it as seriously as other crimes, the word will get out that police do care and future cases will be headed off,” Arkow said.

To seize the moment, a division of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said last week it was sending educational materials about animal cruelty and other violence to Paterson-area schools.

Also in response to the attack, Paterson’s animal control officer, John DeCando, is planning an assembly at School 4 later this week to put a focus on compassion toward animals. He also called for the launch of a pet therapy program for juvenile delinquents he’s been working on for months with psychologists and judges.

“This is not something to shake your head about and let it go,” DeCando said.

A candle-lighting ceremony outside the police station is scheduled for June 5 at 7:30 p.m., according to the Facebook page Justice for Quattro.

Most young boys admit in surveys to “exploratory” animal abuse, which might include harming mice, pulling the legs off spiders or torching ants with a magnifying glass, said Lisa Zilney, a criminology professor at Montclair State University. But that behavior doesn’t usually extend to companion animals, such as a cat or dog, she said.

A 1999 study found that people who were prosecuted for animal cruelty were 30 percent or more likely to engage in violent crimes or drug abuse. Animal abuse, she said, is one of 15 symptoms psychologists have identified in children with conduct disorder, often one of the first symptoms that can be observed.

Children’s motives for abusing animals have not been studied extensively, according to Frank Ascione, a psychologist who published a report on the topic for the U.S. Department of Justice in 2001. But Ascione found an array of developmentally related reasons: curiosity, peer pressure, boredom, taking out frustration due to their own abuse and even “practicing” violence on animals before acting against people.

Although many violent criminals and even serial killers tortured animals as children, Zilney said that doesn’t mean the boys in the attack on Quattro will continue down that path. Because of the severity of the violence, she said the children should receive counseling from a state-certified psychologist.

There’s more hope for the Paterson boys than adolescents who commit acts of animal cruelty, Zilney said. At age 12 and beyond, it’s often a sign of antisocial behavior, she said, which is more difficult to modify.